TV Host Nick Knowles Joins Cornish Pirates Ownership Group
Television presenter Nick Knowles has become a shareholder in the Cornish Pirates rugby club, adding to its mixed US-UK ownership.
Nick Knowles, a television personality best known for DIY SOS and National Lottery: Who Dares Wins, has joined the Cornish Pirates as a shareholder. The club, which secured its first American investment when Stonewood Capital Management bought a stake in May, now adds Knowles to a group of investors that also includes local backers. Sally Pettipher, the club's chief executive, highlighted Knowles' rugby knowledge, connections and philanthropic work as valuable assets for raising the team's profile.
The Pirates are working toward a decade-long development strategy to meet Premiership standards, which involves meeting new financial and infrastructure criteria. A major obstacle remains the lack of a stadium that satisfies top-flight requirements, and a new grandstand at the Mennaye is delayed after storm damage, affecting premium seating revenue. Despite these challenges, the new investment is seen as a catalyst to accelerate the club's ambitions.
Why it matters
The investment brings high-profile attention and financial expertise to a club aiming for top-level rugby.
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